Introduction

Introduction The Garden is a pleasant place to visit in all seasons. The Garden selects and displays plants native to California in a variety of settings that depict natural habitats. From towering redwoods to delicate grasslands, over a thousand species are located on the grounds. We have prepared this self-guided walk for your education and enjoyment. Along the way you will gain some insight into the Garden‟s colorful past, while learning about California‟s native flora and other fascinating aspects of the natural history of our local area. Walking at a leisurely pace, the route will take you about one hour to complete. The booklet includes historical information about the Garden and its buildings and grounds. You will also read about the origins of individual plant specimens along with information on the plants, animals, and rocks found here. Some of the plants most important to the Chumash and other California Native American groups are also featured. We hope that this self-guided walk enhances your enjoyment of the Garden. Please share your comments about this guide with our staff so that we can continue to improve our services for Garden visitors The 26 stops along the path are marked with small numbered signs. You may borrow a laminated map of the tour route at the entrance kiosk. Please return the booklet and the map to the entry kiosk when you leave the Garden. Beginning your tour: Directly north of the Garden Shop is the Meadow Section and, in the distance, the Santa Ynez Mountains. The sandstone outcrops of these mountains provide a dramatic backdrop for the Meadow. Desert Section To your left as you look toward the mountains is the Desert Section. This sunny area with sandstone outcrops provides a setting for plants native to the most arid regions of California. 35% of California is desert, receiving less than 10 inches of rain per year. 1) Jojoba: Save the Whales with the Oil Planted over 65 years ago. As you approach the Desert Section from the entrance, you will see a clump of large jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis) shrubs to the left of the path. These are larger than the typical size for this species which usually forms a 3-to 6-foot tall shrub in the wild. Male and female flowers of this shrub are borne on separate plants. Jojoba plants produce oil-rich nuts that are eaten without preparation by certain Native American peoples. The Cahuilla (kə-wē'ə) Indians make a drink by grinding the nuts, boiling the meal, and then straining off the liquid. The jojoba is also known as the goat-nut or pig-nut plant, and the nuts have been used as livestock feed. At one time the nuts were sold in Los Angeles drug stores for use as a hair-restorer, and they are still used for this purpose in parts of Mexico. In Mexico a rich drink, somewhat like thick chocolate, is also made from the nuts. The boiled oil that is extracted from the nuts is used as a body oil, and as an ingredient in shampoo. It has been used as a substitute for whale oil in a number of products. The oil is chemically a wax and is indigestible to humans. Now follow the path to your left and into the desert. A surprising array of plant species thrive in the conditions of low rainfall and seasonal temperature extremes that occur in our deserts. A variety of adaptations that reduce water loss are apparent among desert plants. Continue through the Manzanita Section up to the Home Demonstration Garden. 2) California Fan Palms: Our Only Native Palm Trees Planted in 1936. In the northwest corner of the Desert Section to the left of the Information Kiosk, are the Garden‟s two largest California fan palms (Washingtonia filifera). These specimens were burned in the 2009 Jesusita fire, however you can see how they are making a comeback. This palm is found in oases of the Sonoran Desert. Fan palms grow along earthquake faults where ground water is close to the surface and this interesting distribution pattern can be seen clearly from an airplane. The Cahuilla Indians use different parts of this plant for a variety of purposes. The thin, sweetish fruit pulp is eaten fresh and the seeds are ground into meal for making bread and porridge. In some cases, both the flesh and seeds are dried in the sun and ground into flour. Fruits are soaked in water to produce a beverage. Gourd rattles are filled with fan palm seeds and used as musical instruments. The leaf stalks (petioles) have been used to make cooking utensils. Palm leaves are used to roof ramadas and to make baskets and sandals, while palm fibers produce fine cordage. Continue on the loop and return to main path. Continue north on the main path to the pond area. 3) The Blaksley Boulder: A Big Boulder from Far Away The Blaksley Boulder is one of the hallmarks of the Botanic Garden. Two plaques of great significance in the Garden‟s history adorn this rock. The first is a dedication of the Garden by the founder Anna Dorinda Blaksley Bliss to her father. The lower plaque is a note of thanks to the energetic husband and wife team, Dr. and Mrs. E.J. Bissell who did much of the initial layout and planting of the Garden. The Blaksley Boulder is probably composed of Matilija Sandstone that was deposited during the Eocene Epoch some 40 million years ago. Much later, possibly about 15,000 years ago, toward the end of the last Ice Age, it is thought that large boulders were carried down to their present locations in the dense slurry of a debris flow. Imagine a very dense mixture of mud and boulders of various sizes rushing downhill as a result of a huge storm. Such storms were relatively common during this period of wetter climate in our region. If boulders are borne by a flow of debris which has almost the same density as the boulders themselves, the larger rocks tend to rise to the surface of the mixture due to bumping from below by smaller rocks. In this way, huge rocks can be transported for long distances. 4) Coast Live Oak, La Encina, El Encino Age of specimen: unknown. Shading the boulder is a coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia). This common evergreen tree can grow to a height of 25-50 or even 75 feet. The tree crown may spread to 150 feet, often with massive horizontal branches that sweep nearly to the ground. The shiny, dark green leaves are usually convex and have spine-tipped teeth along the margins. The undersurfaces have tufts of hairs at the intersections of the larger veins. The coast live oak usually appears below 4,500 feet and is widespread from southern Mendocino County through the Coast Ranges to the mountains of southern California and Baja California, but is absent from the Sierra Nevada. It is often the dominant tree in the foothills and mountains of Santa Barbara County, and is the only species of aborescent oak indigenous to the grounds of the Botanic Garden. The acorns of the coast live oak were harvested by Native Americans and were an important part of their diet. The wood of this tree is hard, heavy, and moderately strong, and makes the best firewood of any California oak. It was used by mission builders as a source of charcoal for firing lime kilns that made adobe mortar. All of the California missions are located within the range of the coast live oak. Later, live oak wood was used in ship construction. The crotches of these trees were used to construct ships‟ “knees”. The charcoal became important to the gunpowder, bakery, and electric power industries. The above uses, combined with the encroachments of urbanization and agriculture, have greatly reduced the abundance of coast live oak. Fortunately, many remaining stands are reproducing relatively well, especially in protected foothill and mountain localities. 5) The Pond: Water for Plants and Animals It is important for the Garden to be able to display aquatic and semi-aquatic plants in a natural setting. During the history of the Garden there have been three or four pools and a marshy area that supported bog plants. Currently this is our largest pond. There are two other pools in the Children‟s Discovery Garden located down hill from the Garden entrance. At one time there was a sizeable man-made lake with an island in the center in the upper meadow. This pond is important to a variety of animals and plants. Algae, water ferns, and a diversity of aquatic invertebrates are found in the water. Mallard ducks and herons visit the pond from time to time. We are sure that at night many animals come to this pool to drink. The red-eared slider turtles, native to the southern United States, were donated by Turtle Dreams, a Santa Barbara rescue organization, and are of great interest to our young visitors. The mosquito fish, native to streams near the Gulf of Mexico, were introduced to control aquatic mosquito larvae. Ponds and marshes provide many plants that are important to California‟s Native Peoples. The rushes, cattails, tules, and yellow pond lilies that are displayed here all have significant Native American uses. To the left of the pond is the historic information Kiosk. Follow the path between the pond and kiosk to the Orchid Display 6) Orchid Display The Orchid display features several species of native orchids. Soil amendment and specialized irrigation were required to prepare the area for orchids.

Load more